


Everything, Nothing.

by thetoughcookiee



Category: Original Work
Genre: Best Friends, Cheating, Don't really know where the setting is, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, I promise no one will get murdered, M/M, Matty is kinda Harry Styles, Probably somewhere in America, Someone is gay, Tags Are Hard, and doesn't have any of his tattoos, and has a stubble, fast paced story, just not curly haired and british, the siblings are Filipino
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:29:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24054439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetoughcookiee/pseuds/thetoughcookiee
Summary: She wanted this. She wanted him, and yet she couldn't- wouldn't bring herself to admit it. Not again.
Relationships: Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character





	1. The Annual Cabin Getaway

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! All characters are original, some of them I took physical inspiration from real people I love and adore, and some I took completely from my own imagination. 
> 
> The only trigger warning I have is cheating and even though it's somehow one of the things the story rotates on it's not that heavy. 
> 
> Will contain a shit ton of fluff from bestfriends, to siblings and to relationships.
> 
> Enjoy! xx

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mess of a cabin getaway with long time bestfriends, significant others (one who is definitely cheating), a child, and an annoying brother :->

It was that time of the year again. The time wherein best friends Sheena, Wendy and Matty came together for a five day cabin in the woods escapade, another form of trying to run away from all of their busy lives. Except this year it was far different from the others, with Sheena and Matty married to their long time partners, and Sheena also having a daughter, Wendy felt it was only right that she brought a plus one of her own, specifically her baby brother -who everyone loved as their own.

"Okay swimming attire, bucket hat, sunscreen, shades, a book, sandals and plushies."

"Check, check, check and check. You're complete." Christian ticks all the boxes in her sister's notepad as he yawned for the fifth time, making sure he didn't miss one thing, knowing for sure she was going to kill him if he did.

Wendy smiles brightly, unable to hide the glee in her voice when she spoke, "Perfect! How about you? Have you packed all your stuff?"

Chris nods nonchalantly, "Of course I have. Why do you have very little faith in me ate?" He asked, dragging out the honorific he called his big sister. Don't ask, it's a Filipino thing.

She raised an eyebrow, "Oh come on you know I have faith in you, sometimes too much. But it doesn't hurt to check over your stuff again before we go, especially your toothbrush." She gets off her bed and drags her suitcase with her, leaving her brother shoving his toothbrush into his knapsack.

She grabs her phone when she hears the message tone and reads the message Sheena sent her.

_From: Mommy Shee_

_Hey bubby, are you guys on your way? We'll be at the house hopefully in about three hours. Matty also texted me saying he'll arrive a bit later in the day, got some stuff he had to finish. Probably only filing his leave now hmp._

She chuckles at how her bestfriend typed like a grandma despite only being a wife for three years and a mother for one, she still loved her hard though. She quickly types a reply, saying how they were just about to leave and teasing the way she now texted. She also makes sure to text her other bestfriend Matty, letting him know that they would wait for him before they started their lunch barbecue because there was no way in hell she was going to let smoke engulf her freshly washed hair.

She shouts at her brother to hurry up as she practically shoves her three suitcases in the trunk, thankful that she was bringing along Chris, who would be the one to haul the heavy bags up the stairs of the large cabin, he didn't know that though. She kisses her mom and dad bye, kissed the tip of her sleeping niece's nose, and made sure that she had taken her sister's tuna sandwich before giving her brother-in-law a high five.

"Tell me why we have to leave at four in the morning again?" Chris basically drags his long legs and feet to the car, his big body pillow draped over his broad shoulders.

Wendy laughs, "Because it's a long ass ride brother, that's why." Buckling her seatbelt and ruffling her brother's already messy hair, they set off for their mini-vacation.

It took them longer than Wendy had expected, almost reaching five hours on the road, and it didn't help that his brother's bladder constantly needed to be emptied, with all the slurpees he bought at the convenience store. Maybe it wasn't too late to leave him, she thought as her brother rushed to the gas station's bathroom yet again.

She occupies herself with the book that she was currently reading, Matty's latest from his horror series. She was just about to curse the main character for opening the closet even though her husband said not to when her phone rings. Hating to be cut off when she was reading she decided to call back the person later and continue with the book, finally able to curse the woman and jump in shock when they find the remains of their dead child in the cabinet.

They reach the road to the cabin exactly when Chris starts to tell her that his bladder was full, again. She forces her brother to hold it in as she tries to drive faster but safely, thinking that if they didn't reach the house in time he could always go in the woods.

The top of the cabin catches Wendy's eye, excitement bubbling in the pit of her stomach. She's been waiting all year for this, and now she was finally going to be able to be with her bestfriends for five whole days. No work and definitely no distractions. She sees Sheena at the door of the house and waves, leading them to a parking space just under the shade of a mango tree.

Chris practically lunges out of the car, placing a quick kiss to Sheena's cheek before shouting something along the lines of "My pee needs freedom!", Wendy steps out of the car to greet her soul sister, giving her a tight hug that made her heart warm up. They both exchanged whispers of "I missed you bubby." before letting go.

She scans Sheena, noting that in the past year of becoming a mom, she had come back to having a fit body, having gotten rid of all her post pregnancy fat. Her thick curls had gotten longer, finally able to tie it up in a low ponytail. Her brown eyes were still the same, although Wendy noticed that they looked more at peace now, the side of her eyes now softer, the way a mother's eye softens when she looks at her baby.

Sheena smiles her bright smile and drags her to the house, shouting to her husband that they've arrived. The cabin looked the same as always, it's wood and stone interior making everything else stand out. The living room -that had the largest fireplace- was the first thing you would see, a big white couch that could fit atleast ten people was placed facing the tv and fireplace, a glass coffee table adorned with multi-colored tulips in a vase that stood on top of a massive cream colored rug, your toes able to hide beneath the grass-like cloth.

The kitchen and dining area was just as amazing as the living room. There were no walls, so when Wendy was usually cooking, she would still be able to talk with the others. The glass windows however, -that was their main source of light during the day,- would always take her breath away. The view of the sea was incredible, she could see the blue water splashing around as it tried it's best to reach the stairs that led to the house, and the line that would tell you how far you could see before the sky took place of the clear ocean. It was all there, and she had never felt happier.

The big crystal chandelier that hung above would be the last thing you'd notice, but will make it a hard time to tear your gaze away. Each crystal was shaped like a big teardrop, all the colors of the living room, kitchen and even the beach was reflected on it, making it seem like a disco ball from afar. Wendy chuckles to herself as she remembers a time wherein they opened a bottle of champagne and the cork directly flew at the chandelier, it didn't even move an inch.

"Hey Wen! How's it going?" Henry, Sheena's husband greets her as she enters the kitchen, seeing that he was starting to marinate the chicken and pork, the fish was at the side, already filled up with veggies.

She gives him a side hug, "Surprisingly great actually. I have some good news I wanna tell you guys when Matt and Elise arrive." She replies, her eyebrows dancing in a funny way that had a small child laughing from the carpet in the living room.

"It's my baby princess!" She half-runs to her niece, Ashley. She had just started to walk a few months ago but now she was practically running to her as well. Wendy picks her up in a smooth motion, kissing her big cheeks, forehead, and everything else.

"Tita!" Ashley says, her arms wrapping around Wendy's face, laughing loudly when her auntie stole some kisses.

Ash was a half and half child. Half of her face looked like her mother with her full lips, thin eyebrows and big eyes. The other half she got from her father, specifically his straight brown black hair, his long lashes and semi pointed nose. Her brown eyes and tan skin was the product of both her parents, creating a beautiful baby girl.

Wendy places Ash on her chair as the one year old chatted away with her dad, using words she'd probably heard from her parents. Sheena happily takes advantage of her daughter being distracted to catch Wendy up with everything she's been up to, the latter doing the same while cutting up some ingredients for a side dish. Chris emerges from the front door, carrying his knapsack and small suitcase using his left body, the right trying as much as possible to roll the three big rose gold suitcases his sister had packed for just her.

He lets out an exasperated sigh, "What in the name of big ass chandeliers are in these? Rocks?"

"My room is upstairs Chris. Yours is right next to mine." Her sister replies, waving a hand at him, not even bothering to look.

"I'm not doing that."

"Maybe you wouldn't if you didn't have to pee every fifteen minutes. You turned a three hour drive to a five. Deal with it baby brother. I had to deal with your bladder." She replies back, not moving from her seat.

"Damn, I see you still can't bring up your own luggage bear, it's been ten years you know." A voice from the door makes their heads turn, making Ashley flail her arms while she squealed, Henry wave a hand and the two girls jump out of their chairs and into the big man's arms.

"We missed you." The girls whisper from both his sides

He chuckles before placing a soft kiss on both their heads, "I missed you girls too."

* * *

Matty arriving made everything easier for the barbecue preparation. Chris gave him a fist pump and 'man hug', Henry continued their never ending bromance with a full on hug, and Ash spilled all her energy into finding out why the hell her uncle had hair on his chin and above his mouth.

They decided to eat at the garden that had the view of the other side of the beach, the fresh wind hitting their faces as the smell of sea salt filled their noses. The men had started to cook, the women fixed the large wooden table to perfection, and the baby was taking her second nap of the day in the rattan crib. All seemed well, until Henry noticed it.

"Hey Matty?" He turned towards him when he called, "Is Elise not coming?" He regretted saying it as soon as the words left his mouth, Matty's face turning into a small smile as quickly as it dropped a few seconds ago.

"She uhm- She won't be coming this year. Work stuff." He replies, the fake smile still plastered on his face. He turned to the grill, the fish now more interesting than anything else.

Sheena gives her husband a death stare that makes him raise his hands in an apologetic manner, Chris was typing away on his phone -probably posting another insta story-, and Wendy looked at her bestfriend, feeling the disappointment and sadness seep through his facade.

She walks towards him and bumps his shoulder with her's, giving him a smile before grabbing her brother's tongs, flipping the semi-burnt pork.

He smiled back, "I thought your hair was freshly washed today?"

She raises her shoulders in defeat, "Eh I can always wash it anyways."

He smiles a real one this time before placing his arm around her shoulder, their large height difference making it easy for him to kiss her forehead and side hug her. The tension lift up in a second, Matty thankful that he had friends that understood him completely and loved him despite his attitude of trying to constantly push people away. The three of them had this kind of telepathy understanding of, _'If I don't tell you now, I'll most likely tell you later.'_

They finish up cooking all the food and sit down on the large oakwood table, Wendy sitting inbetween Chris and Matty while the couple sat across from them, Ash now awake and lively as ever. They talk about anything and everything, trying as much as possible to sway the conversation away from the topic of Matty's marriage. Henry excuses himself from the table and goes inside the house, returning with a chocolate cake that had Wendy and Ash screaming in delight.

Sheena breaks the comfortable silence as everyone else devoured their cakes, "So D, care to tell us anything?" She raises an eyebrow at her bestfriend, remembering that she had some good news to share.

Wendy nods before wiping her mouth clean, "Right! Well, I'm sure you guys all know that I've been working my bum off for the past several years," The others nod, fully aware that Wendy is the most hardworking person anyone will ever meet, "Well I got a call from the Department of Education a few days ago, and they told me that I passed all the qualifications."

Her companions looked at her with hopeful eyes, all of them holding in their breaths. "I'm having my own kindergarten."

In a moment everyone was congratulating her, hugging her and saying that she fully deserved it, having been a pre-school teacher, a college professor and a thesis adviser for nine whole years. A pop coming from behind makes all of them jump in surprise, Wendy turning around to see her brother carrying a tub of vanilla ice cream in one hand and the party popper on the other, his mouth spread in the widest grin. She jumps up at Chris and hugs him, saying a heartfelt thank you to everyone for being so supportive of her dream.

"Hey, we will always support you, no matter what." Sheena grabs her hand from across the table as they sat down to eat the ice cream, Ash still screaming her congratulations.

The rest of the day was a delightful blur. They all had the chance to swim in the sea, Ash with her cute watermelon patterned swimsuit and the women in their matching pastel pink bathing suits. It had taken a long time for Wendy to accept her body, specifically her thighs and arms, but when she met Sheena and Matty, they had still looked at her like she was the most precious human being in the world. Now she was happier than ever, her small physique perfect for her body type and her lifestyle healthy and balanced.

* * *

Chris was a bit distracted today, his sister noticed as he sat on the couch and stared at his phone the nth time that day, his thick eyebrows scrunched up in a confused manner, his lips pouting out slightly and his head tilted to the side.

"Are you going to tell me who you're waiting for to text you or do I have to force it out of you?" She says as she dries her hair with a towel, now dressed in an oversized blue shirt and some shorts, fresh from the shower.

He shakes his head, "It's just someone from school that told me they were going to ask me something. It's been almost a day and still nothing, I guess they have better things to do during their summer rather than text me."

She bumps his shoulder with her's and scolds him with her eyes, "Hey. You're the school's best volleyball player. Plus you're also great at academics, she's probably just a bit shy. Why don't you text her first instead?" Her eyebrows now raised in a silent question

He sighs, "Maybe. I just don't wanna scare them off you know, come off as needy or something."

"If that person likes you they're supposed to be willing to like all of you. Not just the major parts of you but every single thing. Just remember that before you do anything." She replies and ruffles his damp hair, walking to the kitchen to prepare some hot cocoa for the movie.

The family and Matty soon join them after a while, Matty having to excuse himself when his phone rings, making Sheena shout out after him a "No work calls during vacay rule!", Wendy laughs at her before Henry whispers to them, "I think it was Elise." That stopped them from laughing.

Matty and Elise had met during Matty's first ever book signing event, his future wife gushing over how she absolutely loved his book with a passion, and seeing something more than the cover page. They had understood each other on a different level, then they fell in love. They decided to get married five years into their relationship, despite the fact that they had encountered a ton of problems and rumors of Elise cheating on him, it was never proven.

Don't get them wrong they loved Elise, but in the past five years of them being together and in the two years of their marriage, she'd only been to their cabin getaway thrice. Matty was always cool about it, but something was definitely different this time as Wendy sees him making large gestures with his arms, a clear sign that he was trying to prove a point, and was incredibly annoyed.

They tried to ease the tension by scrolling through the list of movies on Netflix, their final contenders either all The Avengers movies or all of the Stephen King adaptations, that Sheena absolutely hated the idea of, especially since her child still wasn't asleep.

When Matty comes back inside, they had decided to go with the latter, Ash finally asleep in her crib inside her room, the door open just a bit for her parents to easily watch her. They started with IT, the couple snuggled close together, Chris already asleep on the far end of the couch and Wendy fully aware that Matty was distracted, his teeth chewing his bottom lip.

The first film ended and so did Matty's mood, "I think I'm going to head up, I'm a bit tired." He stands and says his goodnight to everyone, Sheena and Wendy looking at each other from across the couch.

"Tell me if you need anything okay." Sheena calls back to him as he ascended the steps to his room, the three of them hearing the quiet close of his door.

They watched the second film of IT, Wendy now thinking about how severe their conversation might have been to make Matty's mood drop so low in a matter of minutes. She turns and looks at her friends, seeing how cuddled up and comfortable they looked.

Henry was Wendy's lab partner in seventh grade, the two kicking off immediately with the same interest in singing and dancing. Wendy introduced Henry to her bestfriends after inviting him over to a study group session. Sheena had fallen in love with him almost instantly, and so did Henry. They tried to hide their relationship for a while but with the way they stared at each other from across the room, no one could really miss it. Matty and Wendy decided to force it out of them after three months, not being able to take how they eyed each other up everytime they ate lunch or studied. They finally got married and had Ash a few years after graduating, creating a beautiful and happy family.

Wendy looked at them and smiled, warmth filling her. She had always dreamed of a love like that. A love that was full of respect, happiness and understanding. Many suitors came her way, men and women alike, but no one came close to stealing her heart. Maybe this was her destiny, she thought. To live a life surrounded by the people she loved, teach children to grow into great human beings, and to forever be content with her family, friends and job. The idea didn't seem bad at all.

Sheena turns to her when she feels her best friend's stare and smiles, "Maybe you should go talk to him, you understand each other."

Wendy thinks for a moment before nodding, kissing Sheena and her brother goodnight, and giving Henry a fist pump before grabbing Matty's untouched mug filled with hot chocolate, and climbs up the stairs.

She reaches Matty's room, the crack from under the door letting some light seep through, making it clear to her that he wasn't planning on sleeping anytime soon. She knocks softly and hears a soft "Come in," before opening the door, revealing Matty under his sheets, his black disheveled hair standing out from the white of the sheets and his porcelain skin. He puts the book he's reading down and smiles softly when he sees it's her.

"Hey bear, I thought maybe you wanted some hot cocoa before going to sleep." She says, unmoving from her spot by the door.

He nods, signaling it was fine and she steps in, closing the door behind her before sitting on the other side of the bed, handing him over the mug. He takes a sip before placing it on his nightstand and looks at Wendy. Realizing the message she put her legs under the covers and scoots closer to him, letting him place his head on her shoulder as she carefully intertwined their fingers together. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply, relishing in the heat that his bestfriend gave off from beside him.

Wendy pries the book from his left hand, "What are you reading?" She sees it's the Alchemist, her favorite classic novel.

"I just needed to distract myself." He mutters, eyes still closed.

She expertly opens the book with one hand, flipping it to her favorite part,

> _"Finally a woman approached who was not dressed in black. She had a vessel on her shoulder, and her head was covered by a veil, but her face was uncovered. The boy approached her to ask about the alchemist._
> 
> _At that moment, it seemed to him that time stood still, and the Soul of the World surged within him. When he looked into her dark eyes, and saw that her lips were poised between a laugh and silence, he learned the most important part of the language that all the world spoke - the language that everyone on earth was capable of understanding in their heart._
> 
> _It was love. Something older than humanity, more ancient than the desert. Something that exerted the same force whenever two pairs of eyes met, as had theirs here at the well. She smiled, and that was certainly an omen - the omen he had been awaiting, without even knowing he was , for all his life. The omen he had sought to find with his sheep and in his books, in the crystals and in the silence of the desert._
> 
> _It was the pure Language of the World. It required no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time. What the boy felt at that moment was that he was in the presence of the only woman in his life, and that with no need for words, she recognized the same thing. He was more certain of it than anything in the world._
> 
> _He had been told by his parents and grandparents that he must fall in love and really know a person before becoming committed. But maybe people who felt that way had never learned the universal language. Because, when you know that language, it's easy to understand that someone in the world awaits you, whether it's in the middle of the desert or in some great city. And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one's dreams would have no meaning."_

They sat in silence, Wendy's calm breathing and soft voice making it easier for Matty to think. Her thumb caressed the back of his callused hand, worn out by all the nights he decided it would be better to write with a paper and pen, completely ignoring his laptop.

He speaks after opening his eyes, "Elise signed the divorce papers today."

Wendy closed her eyes and breathed out.

"I caught her cheating with the man she's been rumored to be with for the last several years. She called me earlier to say that the papers would be there when I got home. She thought she had the fucking right to be mad at me." He continued, his breath coming out raspy.

Wendy didn't speak, because of several reasons, one of them being the fact that she didn't want to curse the woman her best had loved, and because nothing she said could ease the pain he was feeling, the betrayal, the broken promises. She squeezed his hand tighter before letting go, adjusting her body so that she was now facing him, seeing tears well up in his green eyes, the golden rim that stood out when he was happy nowhere to be found.

She cups his face and wipes away a tear that had fallen, and says the only thing she had on her mind, "You know we love you right?" He leaned into her hand and placed his hand over her's, nodding slightly, not trusting his voice.

She fights back a sob before continuing, "And whatever happens, we will always be here. I'll always be here."

The tears fall from his eyes, unable to hold it in any longer, and falls into Wendy's arms. She keeps him steady by wrapping her arms around his shoulders, her hands placed at the small of his back and head. His arms wrap around her waist, his forehead pressed on her shoulder as he shook with the tears that escaped him, unable to say anything.

They stay like that, wrapped in each other's embrace for God knows how long, before Wendy started whispering to him, "Take a deep breath. Breathe with me bear. Come on, deep breath in, and out." They continue breathing together, Matty finally breathing normal again, his heartbeat in tune with Wendy's.

She unwraps her arms around him and starts to move away when his arms tighten around her waist, "Where are you going?" He asks, his voice fragile.

"I'm gonna get a wash cloth, you look like shit." She replies, making him laugh in defeat before letting her go, both of them instantly feeling the warmth leave their bodies.

She opens one of the drawers of the dresser and grabs a face towel before heading to the bathroom. She runs the towel under warm water, feeling tears prick her eyes until they were falling in the sink. She takes a deep breath before washing her face as well, making sure there was no trace of her cries before coming into the bedroom. The vision of Matty wiping his eyes and nose using the back of his hand made him look like his seven year old self, sat on the curb after some boys refused to play with him and called him the giant with a weird name, making Wendy's heart lurch inside of her.

She resumes her position a while ago, facing Matty and taking his hands away from his face. She slowly starts patting the towel on his forehead, reaching his closed eyes, then to his cheeks and nose, to his lips and finally to his chin and neck. Wendy felt like her six year old self, giving her lavander printed handkerchief to the boy she saw sitting by the curb of their lawn, mesmerized by how gentle he was despite being the tallest boy in their grade, and some of the grades older than them.

He smiled at her, his nose still a bit red from crying but his eyes now softer around the edges, "My turn." He says before grabbing the cloth from her hand, closing her eyes using the tip of his finger.

Using the other side of towel, he did the same thing. He patted the damp cloth on her forehead, from her eyes and nose, to her flushed cheeks and full lips. It took Wendy a moment to realize he was done before opening her eyes, jumping a bit at how close Matty was to her.

She chuckles at him before getting the towel, standing up to put it in the hamper inside the bathroom. She comes back to see him getting ready for bed, his toothbrush in his mouth, fully abandoning the mug of hot choco she had made. She rolls her eyes before getting the mug and her phone, waiting for him to finish so she could say goodnight properly. When he was finally set up and under the covers she kisses his forehead and mutters a goodnight, reaching for the doorknob.

His soft voice makes her turn around, "Will you stay with me tonight?" His eyebrows were scrunched up as he looked up at her from the bed.

She laughs this time, "It's like you're seven all over again." But nevertheless, throws the remains of the chocolate drink down the drain and uses the spare toothbrush to clean her teeth, closing the lights and climbing into bed a few moments later.

She laid on her back, smiling when she sees that they never removed the glow in the dark stars that Matty had stuck on the ceiling the first time they visited the cabin. She feels him move and turned to see that he was now facing her, Wendy following suit. They faced each other, not feeling the need to say anything.

Matty remembers the times wherein they would sleep over at Wendy's house, and he would always say that he would sleep on the floor using the sleeping bag, letting the girls share the bed. He would always wake up at around three in the morning, scared out of his wits when he opens his eyes and sees the space under the bed.

He would climb up to the bed on Wendy's side, - because he knew that Sheena would kick him off if he tried to sleep on her side - the movement of the bed waking her up and making her move to the middle to give some space for him. They would always face each other, Wendy reassuring him that there was definitely nothing under the bed.

It reached a point where she didn't even bother getting the sleeping bag anymore, knowing fully well that Matty was going to end up by her side when the morning came. It never got awkward, even when they all reached their teenage years, the familiarity of Matty beside her made her feel safe, and whenever they didn't have sleepovers, she would always have her giant stuffed teddy bear on her left, replacing him, hence the nickname.

She reaches out to sweep his bangs out of his face, "I promise I won't let anyone hurt you again bear." She says, her voice just above a whisper. "Promise me you'll never hide anything this big from me again. I'm here for a reason Matt. Don't push me away."

She feels him nod under her touch, "I promise."

"Good."

She feels the weight of her eyelids as they started to close, almost unable hear him calling out her name. She hums in response, letting him know that she could hear him.

He whispered as soft as the wind that blew outside the window, his forehead pressed against her's, "I love you bear."

She absentmindedly smiles, feeling her heart warm up again, "I love you too bear."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told y'all the fluff will be excessive :->
> 
> If anyone was wondering the terms 'ate', 'tita' and other foreign words you may encounter in the next chapters are what Filipinos use when talking to a specific person. Basically:
> 
> Ate - older sister  
> Kuya - older brother  
> Tita - aunt  
> Tito - uncle
> 
> I'm a full Filipina so I thought it would be cute to add a touch of my language as well 💓
> 
> This is my first work on AO3 so please excuse if I have any typos or wrong grammar, feel free to message me about it though so I can fix it.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I will update very soon! Thank you! xx


	2. In My Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feelings, feelings, feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to add to the tags that this is a fast paced kind of story, hence it being only three chapters in the beginning, which have now turned into four :>

Chris sits up in surprise when his phone rings, the loud song almost making his ear bleed. He blindly searches his phone, finding it on his pillow as he answers the call, half hoping that the call was because of the person he's been waiting for, even though it was in the middle of the night. What he wasn't expecting was hearing Elise on the other end, urgency in her voice.

"Chris? Hey it's me Elise. Matty told me you were coming along with them to the cabin. I'm kind of at the front door. Would you mind opening up?"

He shoots out of bed, not even noticing that his jacket was inside out, "Yeah okay I'll be down in a sec."

He jogs down the steps, careful not to be too loud and wake up everybody else. He opens the big oakwood door to see Matty's wife standing on the doorstep, a cold rush of wind making them both shiver. She greets him with a small smile before coming inside, a suitcase following her.

She takes her jacket off and places it on her suitcase, "I've been trying to contact Wendy but she wasnt answering. I didn't think it would be very smart to call Sheena since it might wake Ashley up. You were the last person on my contact list that I could call."

Chris shakes his head, "No it's okay. Didn't you try to call kuya Matty though?"

She shakes her head back, "We got into a fight. I came here to patch things up with him. Is he asleep?"

Chris nods in understanding, "Yeah we were watching a movie and I fell asleep. When I woke up ate Sheena told me he'd gone to bed." Purposely leaving out the tiny detail that Wendy had went up to his room to comfort him, knowing that Elise had somewhat of a jealous spot for his sister.

"Okay. Can you show me to the guest bedroom then? I don't think it would be a good idea to wake up next to him, he doesn't like surprises." She replies while chuckling, Chris nodding while trying hard not to yawn infront of her.

He leads her through the living room, walking into a wide hallway that had three doors. He passed by the first one, Sheena, Henry and Ashley occupied that one. He also passed by the second one, knowing that they kept their beach essentials there, towels, surfboards and a banana boat. He opens the door to the last room. A bed, side table, dresser and tv furnished it simply. The large window that every room had gave her a view of the dark ocean, the light emitted by a nearby lamp making her see the beach flags, the wind moving them in a rough manner.

He turned towards her, "Here you go. The bathroom is fully equipped so if you need to wash up it won't be a problem. There's food in the fridge if you're hungry and we also have a ton of drinks in the freezer."

She smiles warmly at him, "It's lovely. Thank you Chris."

"Okay. Goodnight." He replies while running his hand through his messy hair, already feeling a headache forming.

"Goodnight." She calls out as he leaves the room, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge before going up the stairs and into his room.

* * *

The morning sun rays woke Wendy up, immediately feeling the warmth of a body pressed against hers. Matty's strong arms were wrapped around her waist, his head in the crook of her neck, her chin placed on top of it, their legs intertwined under the soft sheets. She felt his calm breathing, and heard the chirp of birds outside the open window, a soft breeze enveloping their bodies, making his arms tighten around her from the cold. She rolls her eyes at how stupid they both were for not closing the window, both knowing that the wind was always so cold whenever the night came.

Wendy stays in his arms for a moment, relishing the warmth his body gave off and how comfortable she felt as her thumb made small circles on his shoulder. She hardly thought about it, but she knew deep down that there was a small part of her that just wanted to stay like this forever, wrapped in her best friend's arms, keeping him safe from all the bad things in the world.

She wanted _this_. She wanted _him_ , and yet she couldn't- wouldn't bring herself to admit it. Not again.

She shakes her head and scolds herself internally. Matty was a basic reminder for her that she couldn't always have what she wanted, it was enough that he was here, she didn't need anything more.

She carefully pries her body away from his, taking a little more time when it came to pulling out her left arm that was under his head, feeling that it was in the good kind of a numb state. She successfully separates them, instantly feeling the cold engulf her body, quickly getting out of the bed and closing the window. She grabs her phone and checks the time, not that surprised to see that it was only half past six. Ever since she started working her body clock never changed, even during vacations and summer, it was just too accustomed to waking up early.

She checks on Matty one last time, making sure that she didn't wake him. Seeing that he was snoring into his pillow, she got his mug from last night and her phone, showing herself out of his room. She proceeds to go to her own room, showering quickly and getting ready for the day, not even bothering to put on any makeup, just a little bit of tinted brow gel and lip balm.

She jumps into a lavander colored spaghetti strapped sundress, the soft fabric flowing around her ankles, lets her brown waves sit on her shoulders, and goes downstairs to prepare breakfast.

She starts prepping the ingredients for her pancake, egg and bacon sandwich, making sure that she chopped some bananas to put into Henry's pancake. She just started on the bacon when she sees her brother descending the steps, his phone, a bottle of water and his toothbrush in his hands.

She smiled up at him, "Good morning."

He gave her a crooked smile before placing a kiss on her head, "Good morning."

She laughs at his usual disheveled hair, "Sleep good last night? You didn't even get through half the first film," she says as he puts the toothbrush in his mouth, his eyes rolling at her.

"Oh I slept good alright. Until ate Elise started calling me at three in the morning saying she was outside the door. I mean no offense, but even if you and your husband are fighting you shouldn't wake someone up at three freakin o'clock, in the freakin morning." He says his piece before continuing on brushing his teeth, not noticing how his sister stiffened by what he just said.

Wendy tries to control her voice, "Elise is here?" He nods, pointing to the guest bedroom that no one hardly slept in. She couldn't believe she had the guts to even come here.

Chris finished brushing his teeth and washed his face before turning to his sister again, "She actually said she was trying to call you. You weren't answering so she called me instead."

She grabs her phone that was on the counter and opens it, seeing that she had seventeen missed calls from her. She kinda liked the thought that she shivered out in the cold before Chris let her in. She also noticed that she was the one who had called her during their ride to the cabin, and that she never had the chance to call her back. She suddenly realized that she liked the thought of making her wait.

She looks at her brother, "Did she go up to see Matty?"

She wasn't afraid because she knew they didn't do anything wrong. But technically they were still married until Matty signed the papers, and what she didn't need was the crazy bitch trying to stir some shit up.

Chris shakes his head, "Nope. Said she wanted to surprise him this morning to patch things up."

Patch things up my ass, she thought as different scenarios played in her head. Specifically the one where she strangles the life out of her. She instead nods at her brother, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Why don't you wake everyone up? I'll soon be done with this." She angles her head towards the rooms and gets back to work, letting Chris get one strawberry out of the pile.

She tries to work without thinking about it, failing of course as she had to control her breathing every few minutes, anger coating her body. What kind of psycho would think that going to her husband's cabin getaway with his friends to 'patch things up' after years of cheating on him was a good idea?

Definitely this one, her inner voice says, just as the door to the guest bedroom opens, revealing a tall woman, her black hair in a small bun on the top of her head, wearing an oversized old Duran Duran shirt and leggings. Matty's old Duran Duran shirt.

Elise smiles at her when she sees her in the kitchen, Wendy giving her a half-assed smile back, "Hey Wen." She says, walking towards her.

She stops herself from flinching when she calls her that nickname, only allowing her friends and non-cheaters to call her that,

"Hey. Chris told me he opened up for you today. Sorry I didn't get to pick up any of your calls, my phone was on silent the entire day," She wasn't sorry. And her phone was not on silent.

Elise smiles at her, "It's no problem. It's my fault for not contacting you sooner." _Yup, it's all your fault._

She continues speaking despite Wendy's lack of interest, "I actually came here to fix things with Matt." _Bet you only came back for the money. Same reason as to why you married him in the first place._

"We both said some things we didn't mean and I don't want him to be down the whole time he's here with you guys." _Pretty sure he meant every word when he called you a lying cheating bitch._

Wendy takes a deep breath, biting her tongue to fight back all the retorts she had inside of her, "Well he's going to have a big surprise waiting for him then when he sees you decided to come." She plasters on the fakest smile she could pull off, her cheeks hurting.

Wendy wasn't one to meddle in relationships, both with her friends and her family. But the patience she had for this woman was like a fish out of water trying to breathe, and it was taking every bit of her not to smack that smile off her face. She wouldn't be able to face Matty after that though. As much as he despised her, he still once loved Elise, and violence was never the answer for him.

Wendy must have let something slip past her efforts of not showing the hatred she had for the woman infront of her as she tilts her head to the side, smiling at her with curiosity.

"Well. Can I help you with anything here in the kitchen?" She asks, scanning all the uncooked food on the counter.

Wendy shakes her head, "No it's okay. Everyone knows I prefer cooking breakfast alone. Don't really need people at the side."

She didn't even mean it in any way but Elise's face shifts to an uncomfortable one, her smile slightly wavering before regaining her composure and nodding, "Anything else?"

Wendy tries not to laugh as she catches her red handed, "You can set up the table outside. Ashley and I picked up some roses yesterday, you can use those if you want."

She turns her back to her when she hears Elise comply, grabbing all the things she needed, places them in a basket and saunters off outside. Wendy places her hand on the counter, counting the breaths she took, calming herself. She needed to tell Matt before he saw her, and they needed to tell their other friends as well what was happening because there was no way in hell she was going to eat breakfast with that woman in her presence.

As soon as she calms herself the family of three exit their room, Sheena dressed up in shorts and a ribbed top, Ashley wearing a sunflower printed romper and Henry wearing some shorts and a white t-shirt, his hair a mess.

Her bright smile was real this time, "Good morning beautiful people," She says as Ashley puts her arms out to her auntie, wanting to be held.

She scoops up her niece in her arms and kisses her nose, earning a giggle and a small "Good morning," from the one year old, her parents greeting Wendy as well.

Sheena stands beside her by the stove, flipping the semi-burnt bacon on the pan, "Chris told us that Elise came, is it true? Is she here?"

Wendy looks at her bestfriend and nods, unable to speak because of the strawberry Ash had shoved in her mouth, "She said she wanted to surprise Matty. She's outside setting the table," she says after swallowing the big piece of fruit.

The couple look out through the window and sees Elise circling the table, placing the utensils beside the plates. They looked back at their friend and she just shrugs at them, saying nothing. Matty was supposed to be the one to tell them, not her.

Sheena places the tongs down when Wendy gives her back her child, "We'll go and say hi. You okay here right?" Wendy nods and shoos them away, giving Ash one last strawberry to mess her perfect jumper up.

Not long after she was cooking the pancakes on another pan, grabbing some milk from the fridge and started on their cappuccinos, remembering that she had to make an extra for the new comer. She was tempted not to make anything for Elise, using her poor skill at remembering things as an excuse for the woman to skip breakfast. She wasn't that mean.

Chris had changed into sweats and a dark blue v-neck when he comes back down again, Matty following behind him. He goes out to the garden to see if he could help, leaving Matty and Wendy alone, the latter unaware that she had any company, too focused on making their coffees.

He comes up behind her and engulfs her in a hug with his large arms, making Wendy half-scream in fright, absolutely aware of Matty breathing down her hair.

He breathes in her lavander scented hair, smiling to himself, "Good morning. What time did you leave bed?"

Wendy coughed before replying, "Good morning. I woke up at around 6:30, figured you needed a bit more sleep," she replies, worrying that the pancakes were burning behind them, and the thought that anyone can come in and see them like this.

She places her hands on top of his arms, "The pancakes are gonna burn if you don't let me go," she frees herself when he loses his grip a bit, ducking beneath him to check on the pancakes. Fortunately, they were still good.

Matty looks at Wendy from behind, seeing her so immersed in what she was doing. He recalls back to last night. He felt like the world was crumbling apart at his feet, then Wendy showed up and it all seemed better again. She took care of him like she always did, but somehow, he knew in his bones that last night was different.

Sure they had many intimate moments before. Like that time when she wasn't chosen to be the student counterpart of her favorite teacher, even though she was the best student, and she ended up crying her eyes out in the middle of class. Or when Matty joined a short story writing contest and one of the other contestants cheated by using the plot of an old book that no one knew about, making him turn out at third place.

They had always been there for each other, most of the time with Sheena as well but there were those moments wherein it was just the two of them. And despite the fact that the both of them thought that their was no hope left for them at all, they had always found a way to bring each other back up to their feet.

Yes, Matty was just about to get out of a seven year relationship with the only woman he had openly loved, but what if that wasn't the case? What if he never met Elise? Would they be together now? Or would they never even think about it at all? Matty surely did, several times in fact. He just never knew if Wendy felt the same, or even considered seeing him that way in the past twenty five years of their relationship.

He opened his mouth to say something but is cut off when Wendy turns her body to face him, "Elise is here," When he made no reaction she continued, "Chris said she called him at three this morning, asking him to open up the door. She told me she wanted to fix things with you guys. I didn't say anything because I knew you wouldn't want that. She's outside with the others."

Matty looks at her, disbelief knocking out the air in his lungs, his mouth too dry to speak.

Wendy came closer, placing her hands on his arms, his hands involuntarily cupping her shoulders to refrain him from falling, "What do you want to do?"

He came to the trip because he needed time to get away from her. To breathe and to think about all those times when he turned a blind eye to everything she was doing behind his back. He wanted to kick her out, scream at her for hurting him like this. But at the same time he wanted to show her how he could be just as happy, if not more, without her around. He didn't know what to do, that was his answer.

When a few minutes passed and he still wasn't speaking Wendy led him to one of the stools behind the counter. Grabbing a glass and filling it with water, she calmed her bestfriend for the second time. She closed the heat from the stove before rounding up infront of him, giving him all the time he needed to cool down. What she wasn't expecting was Matty to take her arms and pull her into a hug, her body inbetween his legs. He was a bit smaller now that he was sitting, but still tall enough to put his chin on top of her head, letting his arms rest at her back.

Wendy sighs but smiles slightly, "You're awfully more cuddly when you're sad. You know that right?" He hums into her hair as she snakes her arms around his waist, pulling him closer, "I can always tell her to leave if you want me to. I would rather she get mad at me, she knows she has no right to be here."

Matty stays silent for a moment, relishing the moment of Wendy in his arms before speaking, "I'll talk to her. She's still my responsibility anyway," His bestfriend opens her mouth to stay something but he cuts her off, "I'll help you with breakfast. I don't think I can look at her without flipping out if you're not there beside me,"

Wendy lets go of her hold around his waist, and looks up at him with a small smile before nodding. They cook up breakfast quickly, both only speaking when Matty told her that it was okay to tell the others about what happened. They reluctantly go outside with trays full of food and drinks in their hands.

Elise jumps up from her seat when she sees Matty, shouting out a loud "Surprise!", with her arms stretched wide. She waits for him to put the tray down before going in for a kiss, Matty completely avoiding it and turned to face her, his back to his friends.

His face remained neutral as his voice, "Can we talk? Alone." He doesn't wait for a response before he's walking away, most probably headed for the beach.

Wendy looks at his back as he walks, slightly catching his eye when he turns to look back at her. She nods, encouraging him that he shouldn't be scared. None of this was his fault. The others at the table noticed the change in mood when the two walk away, Sheena looking at Wendy, waiting for an explanation.

She sits down on the chair Elise had occupied, her chair, and started giving out the plates of food, "She cheated on him," she says without looking at any of them, "It was the same guy she was rumored to be going out with the same time as Matty. He caught them after coming home early one night. They were in his sheets,"

She gets up and gets the plate that had a cut up version of the pancake sandwich - minus the bacon, a bowl of strawberries and a glass of milk. She places them infront of Ashley as the baby looked at everyone with curiosity, aware that there was something wrong.

She tilted her head to the side, her black hair that was in pigtails being carried by a rush of wind, "Tito Matty?" Wendy brushed her cheek softly and smiled, "Don't worry baby princess, Tito Matty is gonna be alright. Eat up."

Ash nods at her, takes a bite of the sandwich and smiles up at her, making Wendy kiss her on the nose. She goes back to her place and sighs before continuing, "He told me last night when I went up to talk to him, and when you said that she was here," she looked at her wide eyed brother, realizing what he had done without knowing it, "I almost completely lost it when I saw her. Then I remembered it wasn't my war to fight, I had to respect what Matty wanted."

She looks at her best friend, his arms crossed while Elise had her hands on her hips, clearly fighting, "And all he wanted was to get away from her."

She averts her eyes back to her company. Henry was unable to speak and instead just shook his head in disbelief, Chris was still unable to fathom how anyone could be that cruel to someone as great as Matty, and Sheena was breathing heavily with her eyes closed, her ears a bright shade of red from anger.

Her best friend looks at her with unshed tears in her eyes, "How long?"

"I don't know. He didn't tell me," she replies, aware that Sheena was asking how long Matty had to endure all the pain by himself. How many times they met up to eat lunch and not notice how his smile didn't reach his eyes anymore, or how he wasn't able to finish the box of fries that he loved so much.

Wendy gulps, willing herself not to cry, "We didn't see it bubby, and that's what makes me all the more angry. That I couldn't even see that my best friend was suffering when he was right infront of me," she lets a few tears fall to her lap before wiping her face, not wanting Ashley to see that she was sad.

Sheena wipes her eyes with a tissue her husband hands her, "He's a big boy D, he'll figure this out. All we have to do is be there for him. Make up for all the times we were too blind to notice. That's what we're going to do, okay?"

Wendy nods as Sheena reaches over the table to fix her hair, cupping her face into her hand, "Okay," she replies in a soft voice.

It felt like ages before they were done talking. Elise sauntered off, not even looking at them as she goes back inside, grabbing her full blown suitcase and opening the main door, not looking back once. No one paid attention to her.

When Matty came back, he sat on his usual spot beside Wendy and smiles brightly at her, proceeding to grab the butter and spreads it on his pancake before cutting a big chunk of the sandwich and popping it into his mouth. He stops chewing when he sees five pairs of eyes staring at him, four of them in confusion and one in entertainment.

He chews his pancake sandwich, "What?" he asks, his mouth full,

Wendy sighs before laughing, "Aren't you going to tell us what happened?"

Utter confusion spreads on his face before realizing that they all wanted to know what their conversation led to, "Ah right! I asked her why she was here and she was rambling about how she was so lonely when I left so I told her to go to that guy she's been seeing behind my back. Then she got angry and said that she wasn't going to sign the divorce papers so I went to my last resort. Told her if she didn't sign the papers I would file a lawsuit against her and that guy for adultery, she knows she doesn't have a chance to win. Then I told her to leave," he shrugs after finishing, taking another bite of the sandwich.

Sheena stands from her seat and walks towards him, hugging Matty from behind, "I'm sorry," she mutters in his neck

He takes her hands and looks at everyone, "Hey. It's no one's fault but hers okay? None of us knew what was going on. Hell, she was so good that she hid it from me for seven years,"

Everyone nods and Sheena goes back to her seat, wiping her eyes as her husband kissed her forehead, whispering calming words to her as their daughter looked at them with wide curious eyes, her head tilted to the side.

They all gain their composure and finally eat up, Chris taking Ashley to the beach after eating; Wendy fully aware that he was smiling like an idiot at his phone screen before leaving the adults to talk among themselves. The couple continued to talk to the two, not noticing how Matty slides his hand under the table to intertwine them with Wendy's, the faintest shade of pink spreading on her cheeks when he rubs circles on the back of her hand, another layer of warmth wrapping around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love these characters 😢
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please message me if you see any mistakes or if you just want to talk 💓


	3. Starlight, star bright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jellyfish stings and hot choco spills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally forgot to add to the tags that there'll be a minor character death so pls don't hate me 👉👈 It's not that angsty because I didn't want it to be super sad, but a little reminiscing wouldn't hurt.

Wendy sat on the bed of Matty's room, pain passing through her body, her throat completely dry. She tried to remember what had happened.

She remembers screaming when she felt the jellyfish hug her leg under the water, her eyes filled with tears and she was trying her best not to buckle up her knees since she was in quite a deep part of the ocean.

She remembers Matty swimming over to her in a heartbeat, his big arms scooping her up, his voice that seemed so far away muttering a soft "It's gonna be okay," in her ears, somehow making the pain go away a little bit.

She remembers him taking her inside and placing her on the couch, never minding that she was soaking wet and that they probably had to pay for the furniture for ruining it. She remembers hearing a mix of voices, her energy suddenly too drained to open her eyes.

She feels something being detached from her, then hearing more curses. Then something soothes the pain as she feels someone hold her hand, kiss her forehead and whisper a "I'm here," before she let the darkness take her into a deep sleep.

Now she was awake, and utterly confused as to why she was in Matty's room, very aware that she was not wearing the same clothes as earlier. Just as she was about to get off the bed the bathroom door opens, revealing Matty, a black mop of hair on his head and his chest very much exposed. She felt her breath hitch in her throat.

Matty didn't seem to notice the way she was gaping at him though when he suddenly rushes to her side and holds her shoulders, "Hey how are you feeling?" He says, his eyes scanning her.

She suddenly had the urge to lick her dry lips, "I'm good. The pain isn't that bad I think I can stand up," she managed to croaked out.

She moves to stand but his arms stayed on her shoulders, "Stay here. I'm calling Henry." Before she can even protest he was already dashing out the door, completely forgetting that he was still half-naked.

She hears urgent footsteps coming up and smiles when she sees Henry and Chris, her brother immediately taking place beside her on the bed, putting the edge of a glass of water on her lips. She finishes the whole glass and nods a thank you to Chris before turning to Henry.

"Hey Wen. How you holding up?" He says, a small first aid kit in his left hand.

Wendy nods, "Good. I knew you were going to take good care of me anyway."

Chris snorts beside her, "You should be really thankful he's a doctor. If it weren't for him we probably had to take you to the hospital,"

Her eyebrows scrunch up as she looks at Henry, "Was it that bad?"

Henry nods, "It was a big one, the jellyfish that stung you. Luckily, we had a lot of vinegar in the the pantry, it helped greatly. Then I applied some aloe vera on the sting, that helped to soothe it more. You pretty much slept it all after, you've been passed out since yesterday."

She sighs before looking at her right leg that was sprawled out on the bed, noticing that the part where it hurt the most, was covered up in a bandage. She looked back to him, "Thank you so much Henry, I don't know what we would do without you,"

He chuckles before sitting on the edge of the bed, "Me too."

Henry quickly but carefully re-bandaged the large sting, making sure he applied another generous coat of aloe vera as well. Chris had buried his head in the crook of her neck, relieved that his sister was going to be alright.

When Henry finished her brother announced that Sheena was already starting on dinner and that he was going to help out a bit, kissing the top of her forehead before heading down with Henry, casually commanding Matty to just carry her down when the food was ready.

She half-chuckles, "I can't believe I wasted a whole day just because I was stupid enough to forget to wear protective gear," she says and moves a bit,

Before she knows it Matty was already fixing the pillows behind her, making sure that it was comfortable. She smiles at him before realizing that he hadn't said a single thing since he called for Henry.

She opens her mouth to talk, "I was really worried," he started before she had the chance to say anything.

"We were playing with the ball and then you suddenly screamed. When I turned to look at you, you were moving your arms, trying to stay afloat. You had gulped up atleast four mouthfuls of water before I reached you," he says, his eyebrows furrowed together.

He sighed heavily before speaking again, "You could have drowned, Wendy." He looks up to her, his glassy eyes evidence to how scared he was.

She holds out her hand and takes his arm, making him sit on the bed infront of her,

She cups his face and uses her thumb to caress his cheek, "Hey. It was no one's fault. And you saved me right on time," she whispers to him, a small smile on her lips.

He closes his eyes and nods, his hand coming up to hold hers, not even noticing how he pressed his forehead against hers, "I know. I'm glad you dragged me to that summer swim class, even if the only reason was for you to get near that ass Jack,"

Matty felt the vibrations from Wendy's laugh, and soon enough, they were both laughing, reliving the memory of that summer, their foreheads pressed together, their hands placed on top of each other. And it felt like they were the only people in the world.

Wendy felt his warm body aligned to hers, his damp hair wetting the part where their foreheads touch, his rough hand rubbing circles on the back of her small delicate one, his fresh peppermint breath hitting her nose.

She was the first one to open her eyes, and in a moment, realized what she was getting herself into, again.

She was getting scared. Not because a jellyfish had decided to latch itself on her body; she felt a large mark forming on her leg, but because she was starting to feel things. Things she's spent years hidden inside a small box placed in the farthest part of her mind, thinking that she had somehow locked it all away. She was scared because the key was slowly turning, her heart alarmingly aware that it was only a matter of time before it opened up completely again, and she was not ready for it. Not again.

She pulls away from him, letting her hand fall on her lap, "Thank you bear, for always being there for me. I can't ask for a better best friend." She smiled at him, not noticing the way his smile faltered before forcing it on his face again.

* * *

Matty always knew that burying his feelings down ten years ago was the stupidest idea. Instead of pursuing the girl he liked, he let his coward side take over, forcing him to think that being with Wendy would never work out, and that she would never reciprocate the feelings he had for her.

So he watched from the sidelines, tried his best not to roll his eyes at every guy (and girl) that laid their eyes on her, used every inch of his body to act nonchalant when people gave her flowers and chocolates, and brushed off the very long line of wannabe prom dates.

He always thought he was bad at hiding his feelings, but with Wendy infront of him calling him just her best friend, -despite all the signals he was trying to send her- he was starting to think that maybe he was good at concealing his emotions. And that Wendy was an incredibly naivë person.

He stands up and throws on a shirt before smiling at her, "We should go down. Ashley's been so worried about you," Wendy nods at him before moving to stand up.

She gives a small shriek when she's lifted off the floor, Matty's arms going under her legs and back, her arms instantly wrapping around his neck with the fear of falling. He laughs at her before shaking his head, quietly goes out of the room and descends the steps slowly, Wendy too flushed to say anything and Matty trying to focus on the steps.

"Tita!" Wendy hears Ashley shout out at her when they reach the last step, looking up she sees her seated on her highchair, arms flailing and legs swaying.

She smiles at her, "Hey Ash," She nods a small thank you to Matty when he places her in her seat beside her niece, taking a seat right beside her, Wendy feeling his hand gently take her right leg to place it on a small cushioned stool under the table.

He leans his body so that her back rests on his chest, his breath cooling her nape. Unable to stop her body from reacting, a shiver runs down her spine.

Matty, who didn't seem to notice that her actions were entirely because of him, grabbed a scarf that hung on one of the chairs, and placed it on her, his fingers leaving unnoticeable patches of heat on her skin. Sheena, who had been cooking, looked at her husband who was sat on top of one of the counter stools with a knowing expression, their eyebrows raised at each other.

Sheena coughs and gets their attention, "How's the leg doing D?" She asked, washing up some fresh fruits they picked at the nearby farm, the kind and gentle owner familiar with them.

"It feels like a bruise is going to form but it seems like it's almost back to normal. Henry is great at his job I'll give you that," Wendy says, unconsciously rubbing her right thigh, unaware that she had put her hand on Matty's thigh instead of hers, his face turning a tomato red from the sudden contact.

She swiftly pulls her hand away when she feels his hand on hers, and mutters a small "I'm so sorry," before turning back to Sheena, her friend unable to control herself as she laughed inaudibly at them, receiving an odd glance from her husband.

They continue their festivities despite Wendy being incapable of joining some of them, like their seashell picking contest, to see who could bring home the prettiest one; the judge being Wendy's older sister, who may or may not have a biased opinion when it came to Matty's seashells. She was also unable to join their rock climbing, wherein they all fight to reach the top of a large rock that stood on the shore of the ocean, that was atleast fifty feet high.

She was still happy though despite the casualty she had faced, she was glad that she spent the time to be with her niece instead. She was always more inclined to their flower bouquet contest anyway; which started when the owners of the cabin urged them to take as many flowers as they wanted from the garden, unhappy that it always went to waste whenever nobody was around. And their nighttime horror stories around the bonfire, each of them conjuring up the scariest one their brains could handle, Wendy winning at those.

They ended their day circling the large fire pit that decorated the bare beach, two large couchs creating semi circles around the fire, the family of three on one side and the others on one. They made s'mores and told their stories, Wendy once again winning at the horror story contest, making sure that Ash had fallen asleep before they started.

"I still can't believe the mother did it," Sheena says, shaking her head at Wendy

Henry laughs beside her, "It was obviously the mom babe! The way she knew the little things was already a large red flag,"

Sheena narrows her eyes at her husband, "You weren't saying that when you used our child to stop yourself from screaming your lungs out when the killer put an axe on the boyfriend's head," Henry chuckles before saying a small sorry, then proceeds to hug his wife, wrapping her up in his arms.

Wendy feels Chris shake his head beside her, "You all can't believe it was the mother, I can't believe she won over Matty!" He chuckles but continues to laugh when Matty shoots him a look

"Writers have their off days too you know," Matty says under his breath, his eyes now focused on his fingers.

She pats him on the shoulder while a ringing phone slices through their laughter, Wendy rolling her eyes when she sees it's her brother's. He takes one look at the caller ID and his face turns into a mess, not knowing if he should smile or keep a straight face.

Wendy nudges him, "Go get it bro," Chris smiles at her before answering, leaving his seat beside his sister to continue the conversation by the beach shore.

The four adults watch him when he walks away from them, his left hand moving in grand gestures as he laughs at whatever the other person had to say. They all look at each other and laugh, reminiscing the times wherein they felt pure happiness when they could talk to the person they liked.

Sheena and Henry eventually say goodnight when Ashley slightly turns in her sleep. Not wanting to risk waking her up, the couple quietly depart from the pit, Henry's arm around his wife while Sheena held their daughter in her arms.

Matty also gets up from his seat after a while of silence, "You gonna wait for Chris?"

Wendy shakes her head, "Nah, just want to savor the air a bit more. It's not that cold tonight, might as well take advantage of it." Matty nods, pats her head and gives her a small smile before going inside.

She averts her eyes back to the beach and sky when she's left alone, admiring how beautiful the stars shone out through the darkness of the night, like little sparks of hope igniting inside of her. She shakes her head in frustration, she wasn't going to do this to herself.

Instead she lets her mind wander to other things, things unrelated to a specific long legged and messy haired man. She thinks about her brother and how he hasn't told her yet that he was talking to a boy in their swim team, and how her sister was probably going to move to Greece because of her husband. She thinks about her parents and the house they were going to surprise them with on their 35th anniversary. She thinks about Louise and how she must be so proud with her siblings and their achievements, wherever she was.

She feels tears prick her eyes when her sister evades her thoughts, the heart-wrenching feeling that she was never going to be able to share any of this with her, and that she herself was never going to be able to experience this. She looks up to the sky and looks at the one that shone the brightest, remembering how her letter went,

_And if you ever feel lonely, just look up to the sky, find the brightest star, and talk to me. I promise I will be there to listen. I love you._

"I did it Lou," She whispers and feels her voice break, she takes a deep breath, "I did it. I'm getting my own kindergarten," she smiles and closes her eyes, "I miss you, so much."

She lets herself free this time, feeling warm tears coat her cheeks, making her hair stick to her face when the wind blew. She cries out into the quiet night, uncaring if anyone could hear her sad wails.

She doesn't stop when she feels arms enclose her, stopping the wind that had turned cold from her cries to wrap around her.

She feels a hand stroke her hair softly, "She's so proud of you," Matty says, his breathing like a soft hum.

"I miss her," she says through small sobs,

"I know bear, me too."

* * *

Chris intended to say goodbye to Nathan when he reached the large rock formation, but the way he excitedly told stories about anything and everything made it seem harder than it actually was.

So he sat on the dry sand, and enjoyed the way he got incredibly lost in the other boy's deep voice that when he closed his eyes, he felt as if he was sitting there next to him, playing with his fingers like Nate always did, his head on his shoulder, his hair a damp curly mess of gold, usually due to swim practice.

Chris laughs when Nate finishes his story about the team pranking their coach, filling his bathtub with real goldfish instead of ice,

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed now?" Chris asks, hugging his knees when a cold blanket of wind passes,

"Why?" Nate replies, clear confusion in his voice, "Do you not want to talk to me anymore?"

Chris laughs slightly, "No, I was just worried that you wouldn't get enough sleep for practice tomorrow," He hears a sigh of relief from the other end, and he can't help but smile to himself.

"I wanted to ask you something remember?" Nate says after a second of silence, Chris only responding with a hum, not trusting his voice.

"Can you turn around?"

* * *

It took Wendy a good half hour before she completely stopped the tears from flowing out of her eyes, and after a few minutes of sniffles, a box of tissues, and a cup of hot choco, she ended up snuggled in a big blanket, her second cup of choco in her hands and an arm wrapped around her, keeping her close.

She feels Matty's breath on the side of her face when he spoke, "Do you want to talk about it?" He asks, already able to discern what she was thinking

She shakes her head, "I just missed her. And it's been so long since I got to talk to her. I guess I just wanted her to know-" she clears her throat, "That we're all doing all alright somehow,"

Matty nods and rests his mouth on the top of her head, "I'm sure she does,"

When Wendy doesn't reply he just tightens his arm around her, pulling her closer. One thing Matty knew about his best friend is how she prefers to cry things out instead of talking about it, and even in the past, he never pushed her. She would eventually talk to her mom, or to him and Sheena, or to Lou - when she was still alive.

Losing Louise was the biggest blow the family had ever faced, and no one ever saw it coming. She had just turned twenty, and was on her way home for Christmas, all the presents she bought beside her, when the train got derailed. She was seated by the window, and died immediately with seven other people.

What shocked everyone was the letters. Anne, their eldest, was going through her closet, trying to find a dress for Lou to wear when she saw the box. Inside it was a white dress, a rosary, and letters, addressed to everyone she loved.

For a time Wendy said nothing, never opening her letter. And she never cried, always refusing to believe that her sister was gone. The only time she spoke was when she told her mom how mad she was at Lou for being so ready, and that she must have been crazy to even think about it.

She eventually did read the letter, on Lou's first death anniversary, and shed all the tears her body had to offer. She created her own farewell box that night, and to this day it's stored in her closet, under all her clothes. It was better to say your goodbyes than nothing at all.

When she spoke, she spoke so softly that if the wind was any stronger Matty wouldn't have heard her, "Do you have any regrets?"

She was probably talking about him marrying Elise but somehow, Matty answered with a different reason in mind, "I do."

"What is it?" She asks again,

He scrunches his nose at her, "I can't tell you that,"

She moves so that her body is facing him, causing his arm to fall by his side, "Why not?"

He laughs at her wide eyed expression, "Because,"

"Because what?" She asks, her brown eyes sparkling at him, and Matty being the man that he is, sees something more.

He remembers one part of Lou's letter to him; he was so surprised when he found out, and unashamedly cried for the little sister he saw in her,

_You've taught me so many things Matty, and for that I thank you. So in return I'm here to tell you this. Don't let fear hold you back. Listen to your heart and chase that burning desire, whatever it may be. It may sound cheesy as heck, but it's true. Fear doesn't get us anywhere, only dead ends. And in all my years of living I have never seen someone capable enough to make my sister genuinely and wholeheartedly happy. I see the way you look at her, and I'm here to tell you that I'm that sign you've been waiting for. Go get her tiger. All the love, Lou._

He met Elise a few weeks later after reading the message, and had thought that maybe Lou wasn't right, and that whatever she saw in his eyes was purely just love of a friend, nothing more. Now he wasn't quite sure.

Wendy looked at him and felt her stomach start to fire up. It had been months since she last talked to her sister, and she knew tonight was different. She knew because she asked for a sign. Whatever it was she doesn't recall anymore, all she does remember is that she recieved it, and that was enough. She was ready to give everything to Matty. Even if he was to give her nothing in return.

Matty looks at her, the gold rim of his eyes making his green pupils shine like emeralds. He feels his heart beat irregularly against his chest, hears the waves crash against each other, but somehow, all he saw was her.

"Because it's about you," he says, his voice seemingly out of breath, "And how I've been immensely in love with you,"

To this day, when they tell the story, no one knows who kissed first. All Wendy knew is that he tasted of coffee and peppermint, like a perfect Saturday morning, blithely unaware of the cold wind that made her skin tingle, and the loud cheering of her brother who came back from his walk, hand in hand with a particular blonde headed swimmer.

Matty on the other hand, only knew of the fact that he was in love with his bestfriend, and that they spilled hot choco on the white sofa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always admired the way writers explain how a kiss between two characters happen. The way one of them tasted, and the butterflies in their stomachs when their lips touch 😢 I'm not as good as them but I hope this was atleast good enough 💗


	4. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy endings and babies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A time skip of six years happened, welcome to the last chapter!

Matty woke up to a cold bed, the large duvet uncovered at parts that needed to be covered, and the heat of a body beside him gone. He forces himself to sit up, feeling the headache from the drinks he had last night, reminding him to never drink with Nathan ever again. He looks to his bedside and sees a glass of water, some medicine, and a small note from Sheena, practically forcing him to drink it.

He chuckles slightly before drinking the medicine, and quickly picks himself up. He takes a quick shower, brushes his teeth, shaves off the beard he accumulated in the past three days, and puts on some shorts and a white shirt, his hair left in a disheveled mess like always.

When he reaches the foot of the staircase he hears the loud chatter of voices outside, already bracing himself with what today has to offer. He opens the door to the garden, the salty air of the beach hitting his face, and a child.

"Daddy good morning!" He looks down to his legs to see Lily, her brown waves and green eyes a clear mixture of her parents.

He picks her up and peppers her face with kisses, "Good morning princess," she proceeds to laugh as he kisses her more, begging to be put down.

He puts her down just as Ashley comes skipping towards them, and smiles up at him, "Good morning tito! Can I take Lily to see the flowers? Tito Nate will accompany us,"

He chuckles at how mature Ash is despite her only being six, "Of course you can Ash. Just make sure to watch out for thorns okay?"

The two girls light up when they're given permission, his three-year-old still wobbling a bit as she takes her cousin's hand and skips away towards Nathan, who gives him a wave as he waits for them by the gate,

He shakes his head and chuckles lightly as he walks towards the group of people seated on the table, says his good morning and immediately fills his spot beside his wife, "Did Noah wake you up?"

Wendy looks up and meets her husband's eyes, "He was calling for you actually," she smiles warmly at him and angles her body so that he gets a good look of Noah, all his chubby and pitch black hair self, "I was already awake anyways,"

He looks at her apologetically, and kisses her sweetly before taking his son in his arms, still amazed by how much he weighed, "You probably haven't had any breakfast yet,"

She shakes her head, "If a banana and a cup of coffee counts," she laughs at his expression and gives him a kiss on the cheek before getting up from the table, making her way to their breakfast table spread, already eyeing the coffee machine.

He looks away from Noah when he feels another person sit beside him, "When ate Wendy and I said you guys should bond, we didn't mean get shit faced you know," Chris says, giving him a side eye while he drank from his mug,

"It was your boyfriend's idea to play beer pong, not mine. And can you please stop swearing infront of my children? Wendy and I had to come up with another meaning for jackass to stop Lily from saying it," he replies back, rolling his eyes when his brother-in-law almost spits out his coffee,

The amused expression never left his face, "What does she think it is?"

"A booger. She hates those things," he says, resulting in Chris laughing a little too loudly that Noah stirs a bit in Matty's arms.

Soon enough Wendy comes back with two large plates of food, magically able to carry two cups of hot coffee as well. She nods to her brother to take Noah, the latter already reaching out his hands to take the baby from his dad's arms. The couple eat breakfast with small talk, Sheena and Henry joining their conversation a little while later.

Chris stands when he sees his boyfriend emerging from the gate, "I'm gonna put down Noah in his crib," when his sister nods he smiles, "Is it okay if we take the girls to the beach? I heard the nipa hut's roof is restored,"

Sheena nods and Wendy gives him a knowing look, smiling warmly at him, "Go get it bro,"

Chris laughs at her before placing Noah inside the rattan crib next to where Sheena was seated, then runs quickly in the house to grab some shades and sunscreen for the girls, slipping something small in his pocket as he made his way towards his boyfriend and the kids.

"He's gonna propose," Wendy says when they were out of earshot, making everyone turn their heads to her.

Henry laughs in his seat, "Well it's about damn time. I don't even know why they took this long,"

Sheena smiles at her husband and kisses him lightly on the cheek, "They've been saving up for four years, I think if they had the chance they would've gotten married the second they realized they wanted to be together their whole lives,"

Wendy chuckles as she agrees with her bestfriend, and looks at Matty from the corner of her eye, sensing that he'd gone quiet.

Matty looks at his brother-in-law with a steady gaze, his hand intertwined with Nathan's, the girls running around them. When he spoke, Wendy could have sworn that his eyes had gone glassy, "They're going to have such a happy marriage,"

"Of course they will. They have us as inspiration," she says to him, tangling their own fingers together before giving him a kiss,

Just as they break apart they hear cheers of two little girls, averting their eyes to the beach they see Nate in Christian's arms, spinning him around the shore, tears splotching the latter's face. The girls danced around them, Ashley putting her hand inside her jumper pocket and throwing what seemed like red petals, and Lily falling gracefully on the shore, her little feet covered in white sand as her piercing giggles were carried by the wind.

* * *

The oakwood table was beautifully decorated with wild flowers, various colors giving off an illusion that you were looking at an oil painting of a rainbow, the gold silverware making it seem as if it was the sunset shining through.

Henry sat at the end of the table, Sheena to the left of him, cutting up some last minute fruits delivered. Infront of him sat Matty, his arm protectively on the bassinet where little Noah lay, his brown eyes looking up at his parents that were on either side of him, little bursts of giggles happily escaping him.

Wendy, who sat on the other side of Noah, was still incoherently babbling to her brother, about how happy and proud she was of him, Chris looking at her with such peace in his eyes while he nodded his head, as if he understood everything she was saying- despite the tears making her choke on the words.

Nate was quiet as he sat beside Sheena, but made small talk with everyone, although they had to constantly say his name at least thrice before he got his attention, his eyes either on the ring that adorned his finger, or on his fiancée. And at either head of the table sat the girls, delicate Ashley using her fork and knife to slice the waffle, her father staring at her with pure adoration, and Lily who sat quietly and patiently in her seat, her sunshine like smile never leaving her comely face, her green eyes taking in all the happiness that surrounded her.

Matty, who seemingly read his daughter's thoughts from across the table, coughed and stood up, successfully getting everyone's attention, "A toast," he raised his wine glass that was filled with grape juice, "To happiness. For with it we are everything, and without it we may as well be nothing,"

Everyone beamed at him, Wendy gazing up at her husband, love and pride radiating off of her like the rays of the sun, "To happiness!" The sound of glasses clinking echoed throughout the open air, Ashley holding up her glass of orange juice, Lily her sippy cup, and Noah clapping his arms and feet together, his laughter combining with the rest of everyone's.

When the kids were put to sleep the couples each take their respective spots, Christian and Nathan walking by the shore, their hands together, Henry swaying Sheena on the small pavillion, the crash of the waves their only source of music, and Matty with Wendy, their legs a mess under the thick blanket, the fire pit illuminating their faces.

Wendy breathes in the peppermint scent of him, "Do you think Sheena told him yet?"

She felt Matty shake his head above her, "I don't think so. If she did Henry would be screaming his lungs out, he always wanted two girls,"

She smiles to herself and turns her head towards the house, the glass door making it easier to check on the kids who were sound asleep on the sofa bed, "How can we be so lucky?"

She feels lips kiss her temple softly, "Maybe we were noble people in our past life,"

He looks down at her and sees her eyebrows furrowed together in a manner in which she was thinking, "That would be a nice book,"

He hugs her tighter and peppers her with kisses, "You know me too well," he says, Wendy's laughter carried away into the night.

The fire crackled while they stayed in each others arms, the stars shining brightly with the nighttime sky, like little sparks of joy igniting in their bones, a small reminder of how different it was just six years ago on this couch. Matty stroked Wendy's hair, his other callused hand on top of hers as she quietly discussed with the brightest star, taking no notice as his eyes slowly closed, his mouth atop her freshly washed hair,

"I love you bear," he says to her.

"I love you too bear."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end~ 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading this story! It's my first ever on AO3 and I'm so happy with the outcome 😍 If you enjoyed it please leave a comment and kudos 👉👈 I hope to see you on my next story! 💗


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